Our Instructors

Kevin Auld – Band Director and Piping Instruction

Kevin began his piping career as a student at Shorecrest High School. He returned to teach the Shorecrest piping program from 2000 until 2020. Kevin played with the Washington Scottish Pipe Band for 14 years, serving as Pipe Sergeant as well as Pipe Major at the Grade 3 level.

Kevin is a full-time bagpipe instructor and performer, teaching private lessons, Northwest Junior Pipe Band, piping workshops and summer schools. He also teaches at the Celtic Arts Foundation in Mt Vernon, WA. He performs at numerous events throughout the Puget Sound region.

You can contact Kevin at (206)499-8269, kevin@seattlepiper.com  www.seattlepiper.com

Marcie MacRae (right) with student

Marcie MacRae (right) with student

Marcie MacRae - Lead Tenor/Bass Instructor
Drumming Director

Marcie started taking tenor drum lessons when she was 6 years old, having been raised in an active and influential Seattle area Scottish family. She has played both bass and tenor with grade 3 and grade 2 bands in the Pacific Northwest and has been involved with the Northwest Junior Pipe Band since it began in 1995. She also instructs many pipe bands and soloists.

You can contact Marcie at (206) 915-8431 or macraedrumming@gmail.com

Bryce Kreger – Snare Drum
Competition Band, Pipe Band School

An NWJPB alumnus, Bryce has risen to be one of the area’s top competitive side drummers. He has competed with the grade 1 Dowco Triumph Street pipe band, grade 2 Portland Metro Pipe Band and currently the grade 1 Simon Fraser University Pipe Band.

You can contact Bryce at bryce.kreger@hotmail.com

Tyler Coleman - right

Tyler Coleman - Bagpipes
Pipe Band School, Competition Band Assistant

Tyler started his piping career at Shorecrest High School and continued with Northwest Junior until graduating in 2014. He holds a BA in Marine Biology from Oregon State University and has volunteered organizing youth programs for the Seattle Aquarium. Tyler competes in solo competitions in grade 2 and is a member of the Cascadia Grade 4 Pipe Band.

Christian Vegors - Bass and Tenor Drum
Pipe Band School and Parade Band

Christian started drumming with NWJPB at the age of 9 and graduated at the age of 18 - spending a full 9 years as a member of the band. He competed at the World Pipe Band Championships with the band in 2015 and in 2018 Christian competed at the Winter Storm Novice Bronze Medal bass competition in Kansas City and placed 3rd. He currently plays with the grade 2 Cascadia Pipe Band.

Christian teaches various levels in our Pipe Band School bass program, as well as jumping in to teach beginning snare drum when needed.

Stuart MacDonald - Bagpipes
Pipe Band School, Competition Band Assistant

Stuart started piping at a young age with NWJPB and then Shorecrest High School. He comes from a deep-rooted Pacific NW piping family and his father Ian was one of the founding instructors of Northwest Junior. He is a certified school teacher and has taught at grade levels K-12. Stuart is currently a member of the Cascadia Grade 4 pipe band.

Lauren Gaul - Snare Drum
Parade Band, Grade 5 Snare Class

Lauren started snare drumming around nine years old and was lead drummer of NWJPB until she graduated in 2017. She competed in most BCPA events with her sibling, Kyle, as her piper - competing through Grade 1 solo drumming. After playing with RMM Grade 2 in 2019, she took some years off of drumming while studying Oceanography in Northern California. She is thrilled to have found her way back to the pipe band scene, and she now plays with Cascadia Pipe Band Grade 2. 

Patrick Sutherland – Bagpipe Instructor
Pipe Band School, Competition Band Assistant

Patrick began learning the Great Highland Bagpipes as a member of the Shorecrest High School Pipe Band and the Northwest Junior Pipe Band, where he performed and competed across the Pacific Northwest. After more than a decade away from the instrument, he returned to playing in 2023 and is now part of the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band. In 2025, Patrick joined the instructional team at the Northwest Junior Pipe Band, where he enjoys helping young pipers build a strong musical foundation and share the same enthusiasm for piping that initially inspired him.

Colleen Salmi - Snare Drum Instructor
Pipe Band School

A multi-instrumentalist and former Premier-level Highland dancer, Colleen began her musical training on piano and clarinet before taking up the tenor drum at sixteen with NWJPB. She has since traveled and competed internationally at the World Pipe Band Championships with Portland Metro Grade 2 and Cascadia Grade 2. In 2018, Colleen joined the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band as a snare drummer, where she continues to perform and compete in solo events.

More about our band: Overview / History / Location / Contacts